Mar. 7, 2014 - 11:56AM
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The unemployment rate for post-9/11 veterans jumped in February, nearly erasing the gains of a few months ago, Bureau of Labor Statistics data show.

Meanwhile, the nation’s unemployment rate held steady around 6.7 percent and the economy added 175,000 jobs.

The latest generation of veterans saw their unemployment climb to 9.2 percent, up from 7.9 percent in January. The number is comparable to the February 2013 unemployment rate of 9.4 percent for this group.

Just two months ago, the post-9/11 unemployment rate was 7.3 percent, a lower number than such vets had seen in years.

In a blog post about the rate, Jacqueline Maffucci of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America called for government and the private sector to continue to work together to help vets find jobs.

“As IAVA prepares to launch its 2014 campaign to focus on combating military and veteran suicides, stressors such as job uncertainty and unemployment are certainly on our minds,” the blog post said. “It is imperative that the nation continues to focus on employment for veterans, and recognizes that younger OIF/OEF veterans continue to struggle to find employment once they separate from the military.”

The post also suggested that vets having trouble finding work reach out to the group for help, at 855-917-2743 or transition@iava.org.

For the veteran population as a whole, unemployment in February was 6.3 percent, up from January’s 5.6 percent rate.

Because veterans employment reports have a small sample size and can fluctuate greatly, Labor Department statisticians warn against attempting to draw major conclusions from any one month’s jobs report.